New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-17
COLLEGE BASEBALL LEAGUE.
FOUR STRONG TEAMS TO BE IN THE FIELD.
HARVARD, YALE, COLUMBIA AND PRINCETON WILL
MAKE THE SEASON LIVELY.

Co,rrb,o uarv,rd Princeton and Yale are the new
quartet that will make music in college paseDal
circles this season. The fact that the -FOUR ieadlng
Eastern colleges are to be pitted against each other
for the championship tor the first time In the history
OF college baseball lends peculiar interest to the
contest. The old league that fourished Tor years
comprised of Amherst. Brown. Dartmouth. Harvard
Princeton and Yale dissolved on Marcn ii py
mutual consent, and the new league was iormed.
The smaller colleges often made creditable showing
against their stronger opponents, but the great
expense entaed by the contest with httc cnancc OF
winning the championship was proDaply inc reason
that led to their withdrawal
Harvard men will miss the sharp, clean and pucky
games that Brown used TO play with their nine ana
Yals men, mention Princeton partisans, Will be
sorry to lose chance to cross bats with the players
from Amherst But the change will be bencht all
around for the genes Of the new league VIII be moro
intensely interesting, better played, and the smaller
colleges will have the satisfaction OF knowing that
they are equally matched among thu mseves In point
of numbers to draw tion. Amherst, Drown, part
mouth Williams and possibly Trinity would inrnish
some frst-class exhibitions OF ball playing. II they
should work faithfully as in the days when most OF
them belJnsed to the old league.
The evouons in the game can be seen no oetter tnan
by studying the college game. 1t was some famous
Princeton pitcher who discovered the curve years ago
and caused probe ssonal baseball PLAYERS to sit up
nights until they found out the secret and IL was
Fred Thayer, Of Harvard. who invented the famous
catchers mask that prevents more black eyes ana
bungcd-up faces in day than the most successful
liniucnt could cure in a year. often proless'ohai
clubs have recruited their ranks from college players
There was Richmond, Brown 80, who bothered
professionals with his long that they had to
pay him a big salary to make him one OF their
number Then there il Vinton Yale ,ss, another
clever pitcher did good work tor the Philadephas
q wear ago. The offers that Billy" Coolidge,
Harvard 81, "Charley Baker, Harvard 's4,
Nichols, Harvard $50, jim " Ting, Harvard '7s.
Ernst Harvard rs, Hutchinson, Yale ~, Waidron,
Yale ST. Finley, Columbia SO, Bickham Princeton
80 and others have received from managers OF pro-
fessional teams would make saractor regret his
vocation Coolidge once facetiousy told the writer that
he had to lock his doors against managers In his
palmy DAYS. Yet there was good deal OF truth IN
his saying, as Harvard men well know. This year, II
the signs right will be the most interesting Jcar
In the entire history OF college baseball There may
not be such brilliant individual players as those
mentioned but the mines will be better trained and
further advanced in the science Of the game than ever
YALE HAS ITS USUAL GOOD LUCK
II ia difficult to predict the winner. The only tip
is that YALE with its usual luck, retains almost every
man OF her team 81 1886. which won tue champion
ship. There is great interest at New'haveh IN tho
nine and the baseball enthusiasts are confidently
predicting success Tor the nine. The nine has been
coached all winter by James O'Rourke. OF the New
York nine, who is student at the law school and Will
graduate this year. lie is revered by the New-haven
people about az much as Kelly Is by Bostonisns. lilo
Sheffield 49, catcher of the nine, whose work VIII
almost compare with that OF Allen. OF Harvard In his
best DAYS OF 'S4 and 80. Cross the theologian has
also helped.
Great things are expected from the nine in batting
and it s thought that the men will equal harvards
heavy bitters Stage s9, who developed a terrific
delivery last wear has this uneartbed curves
worse and pulling than the eyes OF witchs CIT
and has supplemented this Accomplishment by
greater speed than ever. Damn Is very clever
pitcher and started N this line last year but no one
could hold his delivery and he turned to catching.
This wear however he has found phenomenal
support in Sullivan, 90 who will help him 10 case
Stagg needs rest. Spencer, 81, IL another good
change catcher Staeg and Damn Will be the regular
battery McCoDkey, 'sS. will play hrst base;
O,borpe Sheffield 49, second, and Cross, l. r.. third.
Brigham. 81, will cover lett field. Kellogg. Sheffield
s7 centre field probably Noyes Sowill cover his old
Mace at shortsop. Hunt Is anew man and hafd
hitter He played last ear on the Albert College
nine and frightened every iiteher he net. Other n
cand dates are sheppard o. ""'cnouis w.
McClntock and Walker.
HARVARD HAS FEWER or ITS OLD MEN,
Harvard il not a. fortunate Yale in retaining old
men but those who axe back at college are good
PLAYERS and there is a healthy crop OF candida'es
Waldo Willard, 81, il captain and IL capable man.
Ue one Of tbs heaviest hittcrs in the league last
aar aud often sent the ba far down Holiness field
that he had tried he could have got around the bases
twice He will hold his old lace at hrst base The
weak sJot in the nine VIII De Tue pi'chers ooh
y;cbnls "a sprained his last year and did not
Mitch with bis accustomed nl and that fact added to
he ,ocutys rule that there should be no professional
coaching. lost Harvard the champl"hSnip ,S hi year
abiv ay third base and strengthen the team by his
! hating. Boyden. l.. s., pitched well last year and
/ may he pitcher this season. Bingham wiz proDabiy
ha change pitcher Both have good control OF the ball
and have sharp curves aud II they are not hindcied
| by the new sIx-ball rule Will do ehecVe WORK.
He,shav 80 will lie the guar catcher and he is as
! GOOD man "A Iiary ard could ask Tor lie lead the
RATING last yea aud ranked third among the catchers
and he throws to base sharply anu a acc
haac Wrestling ~, will take his old place short
stop and do his usual good work in the field and at tho
| ~ Raster ~ one OF the best 1eldcrs Harvard
ever had will again play lett field, and Campbell L..
S. will probably take centre Right held lies between
Bingham, 80. and Choate; 'os; u.., ~. .
It sbould he remembered IN Justice To Harvard that
aha alone OF all the colleges that have contested Tor
the championship tor the last four years, was not
allowed to PGSs oy and this the other
three colleges gaining all they can IRON pro-
fessonal advice and help, while Harvard Is struggling
aIong as hest she can Yet Is not at all improbable
| fiat tho Cambridge men may surprise ever one by
taking frat place, they have always played good
| uphill game.
COLUMBIA MEN sANGUISE OF SUCCESS.
Columbia men are pretty confident that they arc
yoinp to take second place. Last year tho Columbia
| nIo,or. surprised every one by defeating Harvard,
Vale and Princeton with seeming ease, though it was
the first time Columbia ever put nine III tho field
Vet This il the frat year that Columbia has entered
The leapns and her men may lind that the excitement
| ia Worry incidental 10 "a champ ionshp contest,
which they have little idea of, will make great
difference Besides this the men who played last year
we're not all graduates Of Columbia nnd the team was
% M ccaus n representative Columbia team. The
team as announced is: W. Gates, w. H. Bannistcr, l..
9s"'@ Cameron H. Strebeigh, l.. De Sibourg, J. G.
| y. p Xavier McCusker, V. II. Lamarchc T..
Carpenter C. f. Doppeer ard other yet to be
annonpeed During the winter the men have been
nraot;s;ro in Tammany Hall under charge OF Manager
Mutrie Of the New York nine
Gates will pitch with Carpenter as change
Bannister will catch with Xavier as change catcher
Neither is equal to Finley, the ciack catcher OF last
wear. but thew are good men, pe'ertheess
cameron will cover first base lie is good batter
and h,tter man than the first baseman last year
Ed,vards Who played second base last year. says ht
Will not play this year aud strebeigh who will prob
ablv captan the nne will take second base His only
weak point is batlmS DC sioo"pY VIII g"trn .,sa